Contouring and Highlighting for beginners

Hey guys,

Have you ever wanted to learn how to enhance your features and create your desired face shape but not known how? Well today I thought I would share with you how I contour and highlight my face to give the illusion of a perfect shape and give me a healthy glow. Since I am naturally quite fair contouring is a perfect way to give my face that bit more colour and still have my natural skin tone showing though in some places.

So the first thing you should know before contouring is what your face shape is. There are seven different kinds of shapes which are oval, round, square, rectangular/oblong, heart, diamond and pear. The "ideal" face shape is oval so therefore when we are contouring the face we shade specific areas around the face to create an illusion of an oval shape. Each face shape has to shade and highlight different areas. I will explain in the following where you should shade and highlight on each shaped face.

Oval Face:

They have dominant cheekbones and has a narrow oval chin and forehead. They should apply bronzer on the hollows of their cheekbone and apply highlighter above it directly on the bone. 

Round Face:

They are almost as wide as they are long and their cheeks are the widest part of their face. To slim the face and make the features stand out more apply bronzer in a sideways V in the hollows of the cheekbone. As for highlighter you should apply this to your cheeks, on the chin and on the centre of the forehead.

Square Face:

They have a squared forehead which is about the same width as cheekbones and jawline. The square jaw is the most dominant feature. Apply bronzer below cheekbones from the centre of the eye towards the temple. Then apply a small amount on the forehead and chin the soften the look. With the highlighter just apply directly to cheekbones.

Rectangular/Oblong Face:

They are a rectangular shape and the forehead, cheekbones and jawline all have the same width. Apply bronzer to temple, under the cheekbone and on the chin. Then apply highlighter to the cheekbones and about a centimeter away from the outer corner of the eye.

Heart Face:

They have a wide forehead, high cheekbones and a narrow chin. Apply bronzer in a sideways V on cheekbones. To minimise the pointed chin, apply a small amount of bronzer.

Diamond Face:

They have a narrow forehead, are wider at the cheekbones and the narrow back down at the chin. Bronzer should be applied on the cheekbone in a sideways V. You can also apply some shading above the temples.

Pear Face:

They have a narrow forehead, move slightly in at temples and then goes outwards. Its widest point is at the jawline. Bronzer should be applied under the cheekbones and blended towards the jawline. Highlighter should then the applied to the cheekbones. 

Bronzer and highlighter can be used for other features on your face to make them your ideal preference. Some examples of ways this is used is:

- Broad forehead - Too much width (shade the temples) or too much height (shade hairline or middle of forehead)

- Small forehead - Use one shade lighter of foundation for your forehead

- Broad nose - Shade sides of nose

- Short nose - Highlight centre on nose down the bone

- Long nose - Apply bronzer to tip of the nose and add parallel lines of bronzer on each side 

- Bulbous- ended nose - Apply bronzer around base of nose

- Double chin - Shade underneath chin or use darker foundation

- Long thin neck - Use lighter foundation on neck

*One tip would be is to use a matte bronzer because this will made it look a lot more natural and more like a shadow.
* Products I used for contouring and highlighting in the pictures below. Benefit High Beam and Rimmel Natural Bronzer.

Hope you enjoyed this and it helped out someone :) What face shape are you? Let me know how you go.
Ella x